As the value and use of information increases, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One aspect of this evolution has been a progressively growing demand for increased storage capacity in portable memory devices. With the advent of personal computers and workstations, it is often desirable or necessary to remove the medium on which digital data is stored. A user may desire to remove a storage medium to carry it to a different site and/or a different computer system. It may also be desirable to remove the storage medium to a secure location when the stored computer data is sensitive, secret, or a back-up copy is needed. One option is the use of hard disk drives contained in removable cartridges.
Removable hard disk drives are typically housed in a larger shell or cartridge having isolating materials to protect the hard disk drive from dirt or other contaminates, or from a free fall onto a hard surface. Thus, a cartridge 100 (FIG. 1) may be a ruggedized container that houses a hard disk drive. The cartridge is then connected to a larger computer system or network via a carrier installed in a desktop or server system. The carrier typically includes interface and control circuits to operably connect the hard disk drive inserted into the carrier to the motherboard of the host desktop or server system. Either the original cartridge is reinserted or a different cartridge can be inserted back into the carrier installed in the desktop or server. This insertion/removal cycle may occur several times throughout the work day.